My Grace is Sufficient For You

                                                               2 Corinthians 12:9
                                                                 "My grace is sufficient for you,
                                                                   for My strength is made perfect
                                                                                  in weakness".

     Paul had something in his life that he called a thorn in his flesh.  It most likely was an ailment he was suffering from.  Paul prayed 3 times for God to take it away, but He didn't.  Jesus made it perfectly clear that His grace was sufficient for Paul.  Paul later stated in the verse that he would gladly boast in his infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on him.  Paul's journey through the Christian life was tumultuous at best, but he was willing to persevere and run the race to the end, for his reward in heaven.  He was once a brutal persecutor of Christians and now is a fervent follower of Christ. 

     How are we then, to accept God's grace being sufficient for us?  When illnesses arise?  When trials of any come?  Grace is undeserved favor that we can't do for ourselves.  Jesus died on the Cross for our sins with His grace.  We all deserved eternal death, separated from God.  But God gave His only Son to save us.  Paul prayed for his thorn to be removed, and Jesus told him His grace was sufficient.  His grace is sufficient with our sins as well.  The price has been paid once and for all.  It's not by our doing, but by Jesus' doing.  We cannot boast in our salvation, but we can boast in Christ.

     How are you handling God's grace today?  Do you have a "thorn" you want to get rid of?  Are you handling your problems on your own, and not turning to Jesus?  Do you think you are not good enough for Jesus?  Do you think you are not doing enough to get to heaven?  No worries, Jesus' grace has got you covered.  No problems are too big or too small.  You may have an illness that He won't release from you, but rest assure, His grace is sufficient in all ways of life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".  Proverbs 3:5.  We don't always understand God's ways, but His ways are always best.  God gave us grace not because it was deserved, but because He loved us enough to spare us from hell.

                                                               In God's sufficient grace,
                                                                                           Sabrina

Turning Sorrow Into Joy

                    "...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength".  Nehemiah 8:10b

     I wonder sometimes how we can have joy in the midst of sorrow.  Have you wondered the same thing?  Questions abound when illness, terrorism, riots, emotional turmoil, and many other turmoils come.  Where is the joy?  And how do we get it?  Our joy comes only from Jesus, and His joy gives us strength.  When we are in the middle of turmoil, it can seem like joy is a million miles away.  The truth is, we become so consumed with our problem that we focus on it and we become a million miles away from Jesus.  Jesus is always with us.  When we focus on our problem, we are the ones that leave Him, and our joy is gone.

     Life happens.  Earthquakes devastate.  Planes crash.  Children die of cancer.  Suicides soar.  But God.  Two most powerful words in the Bible.  But God can bring joy in the midst of all the chaos.  How?  He sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross of Calvary, for a sinful and dying world, so that it may have eternal life...and...joy even when trouble strikes.  Having Jesus in your life doesn't mean there won't be trouble, but trusting and relying on Him, gives you hope.  Our life on earth is temporary.  We are getting ready for eternity.  Earth is our training ground for what is yet to come.

     "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world".  John 16:33.  With all that goes on in this lost and dying world, we can find joy in Christ, and with that, His strength.  And as it says in John 16, we can also have peace.  In Philippians, Paul says, don't worry.  Friends, God's got this!  We just have to trust.  I have found myself wondering why all these things happen.  But God is always reassuring me of His joy and peace when I cry out, "Help"!  to Him. 

                       "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus".  Philippians 4:7

     His peace, as well as His joy is beyond what we can understand.  We cannot know God's plan, but He has it in place for us.  So, do not sorrow, His joy is your strength.  Let Him give it to you.

                                                     In peace and joy,
                                                                        Sabrina

Pray Without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

     To be honest, I had something else in mind to blog today, but at my soon to be 53 years of age, my mind lost all the content of what I had previously thought.  Oh well, since today is the United States' National Day of Prayer, prayer will be the topic.  God has His ways, doesn't He?  On my Bible Gateway app, the word pray in the Bible is mentioned 392 times.  Prayer is mentioned 184 times.  Praying is mentioned 25 times.  Prayer is important and we must pray to keep communication going between us and our Lord.  With that, we must be thankful in everything, because despite good or bad circumstances, God has given us all we have.  

     How do we pray without ceasing?  It's not praying with our eyes closed on our knees 24/7.  It would be difficult to do the laundry, work at our job, or God forbid, drive with our eyes closed, on our knees.  No, it's an attitude of prayer.  It's always having our heart opened to God's leading and direction in our lives.  And yes we can pray in our mind while we do the laundry, work or drive, with our eyes opened.  Keeping in contact with Jesus at all times, in all situations means leaning on Him at those times.  Trusting Him.  Having faith.  Being strong and courageous in all of life's activities.  Pray without ceasing is having a heart for God.  A longing to hang out with Him all day.

     On our National Day of Prayer, remember those who need our prayers, from our government officials to the neighbor down the street.  Most importantly, open the communication between you and God all day, everyday.  Call upon Him in need and in praise.  He wants to hear from you.  His line is always open.  Remember as it says in these verses, it is the will of God to pray without ceasing.  God never ceases in His love for us.  Be a blessing to God and someone else.  Never stop having a heart of prayer.

Praying always in His Name

Sabrina

Just Wait

Psalm 27

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

     This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  I may have told this story before, but here I go again.

     I was in a hospital in 1987.  I had some neurological symptoms and they did an MRI on me and several other tests.  They came to the conclusion that I had a mass in my head that was inoperable and they gave me days to live.  My life just then turned upside down.  My family's lives turned upside down.  I was 25 years old, married, with a baby.  What would happen next?

     After the crying, and going on, a nurse, who happened to be a Christian, came in and recited this verse to me and prayed for me.  I felt uneasy and afraid, but yet I felt peace coming from this precious nurse.  The next day came with results again from the MRI.  It might have been a miracle, who knows?  It might have been a doctor's mistake, who knows?  Only God knows.  The mass in my head was scar tissue.  I was going to live!  What we have to know is we have to wait on God, with courage.  He will give us the strength we need.  A miracle did happen by the way.  God showed me that waiting on Him, in His timing meant I would see blessings.  And I did!

     Fast forward 28 years later...

     Worried God wasn't listening.  Worried God wasn't answering.  Wondering where He was when I messed up.  With tears in my eyes, He held me close, and said, "Wait".  So the next day comes around, very early, and I'm thinking of the verse, "...Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning".  And I thought again, still struggling, "Where is my joy"?  All of a sudden I felt peace and joy with the arms of Jesus holding me.

     The next thing I know, I get a text from a family member with some good news we were praying about, and I cried for joy this time.  I failed the day before to trust and have faith...and to wait.  The next day, God showed up.  Another verse that comes to mind as I conclude this is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".  Proverbs 3:5.

     God always shows up when you least expect it.  Are you waiting on Him?

Waiting on Him

Sabrina

Stand

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 

Are we willing to stand?  These verses are meant for our stand against the devil. But what does that mean for us?  What stands do we make?  Do we stand against our selfish desires?  Our anger?  Our sinfulness?  Where do we draw the line?  Or do we draw the line when it comes to standing for Christ?  What costs come in doing the right thing?  Do we carry the whole armor of God to take that stand?  Do we gird our waists with truth?  Do we put on our breastplates of righteousness?  Do we shod our feet with the gospel of peace?  Do we take our shields of faith?  Do we take our helmets of salvation and our swords of the Spirit; the Word of God?

When we stand against the devil we are standing against sin.  We are standing against the desires of the flesh.  Sometimes we have to sacrifice things in our lives that stand in our way.  Some things we really want to keep, and even those things we keep that we don't really want, but can't get rid of until we stand for what God wants.  That is not always easy.  Paul said in Romans 7:15, "For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."  Sometimes we do things in our flesh that we wish we wouldn't do.  We must stand firm with our armor so that we can fight against such things.

Let's take a stand today against the evil of this world, against that which the devil would have us to do, so that, we as Christians, can live above reproach and show Who Jesus really is to a dying world.

                          In His Love

                             Sabrina

Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

John 15:13

     He hung there for hours after being beaten to unrecognition.  His friends fled except for the women and one of his friends.  They spat and mocked and bet on His clothes.  They laughed at the dying man.  They did not know what they were doing.  He said nothing to set Himself free at His trial, after the one who betrayed Him, a supposedly close friend, sold out for thirty pieces of gold.  He asked is Father before all this in the garden, if this could not happen, but then prayed for His Father's will.  His hands and feet were nailed to a tree with two criminals on each side of Him.  One would be in eternity with Him, because he knew Who He was and He forgave Him.  He was there on that tree because of the greatest love ever.  A new hope for all.  One Lamb to be sacrificed for all.  He finally said, "It is finished!"

     He laid down His life for His friends, for us.  The greatest love of all.  He was sinless, yet He died for our sins, so that we might live in Glory with Him.  That is the best Valentine one could give to another.  This Valentine's Day, do something to someone with sacrificial love in mind.  Not necessarily dying for them, but dying to yourself for them.  Jesus didn't have to die for us, and no one took His life, but He chose to lay down His life to save us from sin.  He chose.  Made a choice, and gave up His life for ours.  Can you fathom that?

     When I think now of roses for Valentine's Day, I think of the thorns on Jesus's head.  When I think of chocolates, I think of not only the sweetness of Jesus' love for us, but the bitter taste He was given in the sour wine when He was thirsty.  What He gave up was everything on our behalf.  So now what do we do with it?  Do we fly the bird at someone who cut us off in traffic?  Do we ignore those in need?  Do we love our family and friends with no strings attached?  Do we reach out to strangers with the gospel and share what He has done for all of us?  It's our choice.  It's your choice.  How will you respond this Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine's Day 2015!

Sabrina

Why Forgive Others?

Mark 11:25

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

     Many years had passed with unforgiveness in my heart.  My heart was is agony.  I was defeated.  The unnecessary pain I went through was enough to engulf me in flames of despair to the point of death.  The troubles I had in the past compared to nothing that happened after.  Not a day went by that my turmoil and strife overwhelmed me.  I was wronged and I sure wasn't going to let that person off easy.  But it hurt me more than them.  Several years of hurt, anger and anguish passed...until I made my relationship right with Jesus.

     Jesus commands that we forgive, or we won't be forgiven.  It doesn't matter if someone murdered the one you loved, or a friend lied to you.  You must forgive.  It's not for the sake of the one who hurt you, but for your sake.  We all sin, since Adam and Eve.  We've all hurt someone.  Would you want to be forgiven?  Then forgive.  The barriers and walls of unforgiveness keeps us in bondage to Satan.  He wants us to hate others and be miserable, and he wants us separated from God's forgiveness.  Jesus died for our sins.  He forgave them all.  So why shouldn't we forgive others?

     The heart of following Jesus is to forgive.  If you have a grievance with someone, go to them and make it right.  Forgiving someone does not excuse what they have done to you, it just means that you put the past behind you and let go of what they did.  We can't save others on our own merit, but God can.  In forgiving someone, it may change them, and they may get right with God.  You never know what an impact you can make with your actions, whether good or bad.  And if you forgive them, God will forgive you.

I hope you will be blessed with a forgiving heart today.

Sabrina